I was looking at my favorite article site (mine :-)) and came across an article done by someone I refer to a lot in the blog because of her newsletter for authors and writers.  I hope you’ll enjoy the article, and the helpful information of how to do a book tour or author tour.  As you can see in earlier posts, I’ve taken part in a few blog tours.

Here’s the article, by Penny Sansevieri.

After years of working with authors on Internet tours, talking about blogging, podcasting, social networking, and all other assorted online promotional tools, the basic questions still remain: How the heck do I promote myself on the Internet? Broken down in simple steps, this article is designed to give you a good starting point to kick your Internet promotion into high gear. It s not difficult but you have to start somewhere. Let s start with your web site.

Web site: Why would someone visit it? Why would anyone care? Before you start marketing yourself online, ask these basic questions. You can get anyone to a web site once, but getting them back a second, or third time is where authors often lose momentum. Studies have shown that less than 14 of web site visitors will buy the first time they visit. It s only on the second or third visit that they decide to make a purchase. Anyone can drive traffic to your site, it s getting them back that counts.

The point of your tour: getting incoming links

Here s the thing: anyone can get incoming links, the point is, you want GOOD and quality incoming links from sites that can actually send you traffic and readers that will buy your book. We get numerous calls from authors who have bought into inexpensive programs that do nothing more than drive unqualified, tire kicking traffic to their web site. This kind of traffic is not going to do you any good; in fact, if you re not careful, getting a bunch of errant links from sites that Google doesn’t feel are right for your topic or market can get you downgraded online instead of a better ranking. So how do you beat this?

First, you’ll want to download the Google toolbar. This toolbar comes with a Page Ranking piece (in some cases you may have to download this separately). This Page Rank is important because it s an indicator of how important Google thinks a particular site is. Ideally sites you target will have a Page Rank of 4 or above. We like to target sites that have a ranking between 4-6. Then look at the nature of the sites you re pitching. Are they related to your topic? Do the sites have lots of great content? Would they consider reviewing your book, maybe interviewing you or excerpting your book? Regardless of what they re willing to do, the idea is to use these sites to help spread the message about your book and give them great content. All sites are looking for great content and if you can offer it to them, it s a win win. Here s what not to do: don’t just link swap with your friends. I know writers who belong to writer s groups and just swap links with other writers. This isn’t good for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that the site you might be linking to (or getting a link from) has nothing to do with your topic.

Slow and steady wins the race: The idea of touring or promoting yourself online is about building traffic, links, and authority status within search engines. I tend to reference Google a lot since most of us default search there. People ask me how long they should promote themselves online, I tell them for as long as they need to. As long as there are sites you can pitch yourself to you can continue promoting. Our web site, Author Marketing Experts, has never been promoting in an aggressive fashion. Yes, we use new promotional techniques and cutting edge Web 2.0 trends but it s never been about a fast push; it s always been about slow and steady growth. Because of this we have great ranking, linking, and placement on Google. I ve never paid for a single ad word placement or fancy traffic program that leverages links only.

Using blogs, podcasts, and article syndication: the Internet is full of tools to use. Blogs are a great way to promote to but consider this: why not comment on blogs in your market that are getting a lot of traffic? You may not be able to get a review but you can always comment and, you ll get a link back to your site in the process.

Podcasting is another great tool, there are a ton of podcasts out there that you can promote yourself to. Check out iTunes and Podcast Alley to find some that might suit your topic and market.

Article syndication: another powerful but often overlooked market. Write a piece between 500 and 2,000 words and send it out into cyberspace via sites like Isnare, Ezine Articles and Article City and watch the links start building to your site.

If the idea of social networking, social bookmarking, video and the like are overwhelming then I recommend that you start simple: begin by pitching yourself online and see what you can grow from there. Most of the time the main reason an author abandons any thought of an online campaign is because they are overwhelmed by their choices. Start small and build from there, this is how we did it and how we grew our market. You can too. Then, when you’ve gotten your sea legs when it comes to Internet promotion, you can branch out into other areas.

Good luck, here’s to your Red Hot success!
Author Resource:-> Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a book marketing and media relations expert whose company has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. Visit http://www.amarketingexpert.com.

Article From Selling With Articles

I was looking through some old email, and came across a newsletter from “Author Marketing Experts” that I thought you might be interested in part of it that focuses on marketing your book.  Where do you begin?   How do you begin?  There are many ways, this post focuses on virtual books events.

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As space in bookstores keeps narrowing and their event calendars keep filling up faster than ever an author has to wonder how on earth will they get to do an event, if ever? Sure, you can do events in other spots like spas, coffee shops and retail outlets, but what if the sweat equity of making the events happen stops balancing against the people who attend and/or buy a book? Unless you’re doing a speaking engagement as part of a larger event, crowds can be tough to predict. Enter the virtual marketplace. Here an author event can take on a whole different life. Events can be promoted around the world and people can attend and gain exposure to your book and message without ever having to leave their home.

Types of Events

There is no limit to the types or amount of events you can do. The only thing that limits you is your imagination, and possibly your time. From the standpoint of sales, there’s no better way to spread the message about your book than through your own passion for the topic. Studies have shown that authors who do speaking events (whether online or off) as part of their promotional efforts sell three times as many books as authors who don’t utter a word at events. But it’s not just the speaking that makes sales soar, it’s what you say that counts.

When it comes to the exact types of events you can plan, let your book and your audience be your guide. For example, if you have a book that lends itself to an educational program or series, consider building a variety of teleclasses. If you have a book of fiction and you feel strongly that the audience couldn’t possibly be interested in a seminar series or educational session, then try planning a one night event only. Often though, we find that when authors begin planning these types of events they really do find more and more reasons to talk about their book.

Pricing, Timing, and Other Tricks to Make your Seminar Successful

Teleseminars or author events don’t have to be complicated - the simpler you make them, the more you’re likely to do them. When it comes to the logistics of planning an event, all you need is a conference line and these days, they’re easier to come by than ever. You can register at Free Conference Call, www.freeconferencecall.com, and get access to conference lines whenever you want them. Keep in mind that the dial in is a toll number so you’ll want to notify your participants that long distance charges will apply. You can also get a toll-free number, and I’ve often done this when I have a paid seminar. You can get a toll-free line through Free Conference, www.freeconference.com. You’ll pay a per-minute, per-line fee (meaning that you’re only paying for what you use) and rates do vary, so if Free Conference doesn’t seem to offer what you want, shop around.

When it comes to pricing, it’s hard to pinpoint a perfect number. There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to teleseminars, and pricing will vary depending on several components. First, determine the end goal of your teleseminar. If you’re using this as a funnel to get people to another level of purchasing, then perhaps a free or minimal cost would be appropriate. If this seminar is designed as a standalone and a possible funnel, (although most seminars work as funnels regardless of how you plan them), then a smaller fee, perhaps around twenty dollars, might be best suited for this particular session.

Having worked both free and cost-based seminars, I can tell you that the response rate is often much better when you charge. Some classes charge just $1 as a psychological way to get people engaged in attending, while other classes charge nominally more, upwards of $300 to $1,000 depending on the class, content and specials offered (we’ll address specials later). What you decide to charge will depend on your audience and topic. If you’re teaching a class to CEOs, then your fee will probably be substantial. If your session is for working-class, hobbyists, or stay-at-home parents, then the fees will vary widely.

In order to sweeten the pot, you might consider offering deals and specials that are only given to those who participate in the call. These could be workbooks, special reports, audio recordings of previous calls, discounts on future programs, consulting or future programs you’re promoting. What you offer will depend on your book and business, but remember that sometimes incentivizing the calls can help up the ante when it comes to sign-ups. It also offers additional bottom line value if you’re planning future calls and want to expand your platform or sphere of influence.

As any of you who have done teleseminars know, it can be tough sometimes to keep people till the end of the call. Sometimes listeners get the information they came for and click off, and it can be discouraging to hear the “ping” of the conference call exit bell, but here’s a quick way to combat that: offer them some exclusive piece of information, possibly the most important piece of your call, at the end of the call. Alternatively, you can also hold giveaways (should you decide to offer them) until the end of the call.

As we discussed earlier, you’ll want to record each session you do so you can resell it, and offer it as a bonus to attendees. Luckily, recording a teleseminar is easier than ever. Depending on the conference call service you use, this recording might be included in the package price of renting the phone line. If it’s not, you can turn to services like Audio Acrobat, www.audioacrobat.com, to record your call. You don’t need any special equipment, just a phone line and three-way calling to dial into the recording number. It’s really that easy.

The End of the Event is Just the Beginning

Your event is over, now what? The reason you had the event in the first place: getting and staying on your readers’ radar screen. The truth is, if you want to capture future sales, it may take a round or two of follow-up to make that happen. Don’t waste an opportunity to follow-up with a brief thank you for attending note, additional sales items, or adding your attendees to your newsletter list. Whatever you do, keep ‘em in the loop!

Book Fairs and Trade Shows may be a great way for writers and authors to promote their books. This depends upon what format is being used, but what better place to be than where readers are gathered?

While browsing the internet I found that the Library of Congress has a page dedicated to Book Fairs, with many that are available throughout the US. While the term “Book Fair” is more commonly used, you will also find a lot of resources by searching for “Book Trade Show”.

Maybe you are someone interested in being part of a fair or trade show to promote your book store, or need a ways to display your book at a show if you are an author. In this case you may be more interested in finding a trade show display company to get ideas. There are many ways to promote yourself and what you have to offer by using displays that can range from simple, to very elaborate, depending upon your taste.

I am going to take a look at what fairs are in my area of NJ, and take a look at the trade show display company to see what ideas they inspire.

The weather is warmer in many parts of the country, making for more outdoor fairs, so find out what is in your area, and enjoy!